PreK-3 rd Initiatives in Illinois: The New Schools Project Chris Maxwell, Director Erikson Institute Chicago, IL

Presentation Agenda PreK-3 rd as Reform: Why? What? Erikson Institute’s New Schools Project Lessons Learned from the Ground Level: What Administrative Actions Matter Most? Discussion

Mrs. Jones is a new administrator who just took over as principal of Wildwood Academy. Her teaching background is in secondary English. Wildwood serves 420 children, PreK-8th grade. Many of the children entering the early grades are new residents of the city and from low-income family backgrounds. Teachers are stopping by to “bend” Mrs. Jones’ ear: A 2 nd grade teacher complains that all PreK and Kindergarten must do is play “Don’t those teachers know we have standards to meet here?” The 4 th grade teacher requests to have her old PreK job back. As she notes, “The 4 th grade teacher was so weak our last principal shifted her to PreK and bumped me up to 4 th.” The kindergarten teachers share the student learning portfolios they keep. “These show how much progress our children really do make even though it doesn’t always show up on the district assessments.” Are these situations that actually arise for school administrators? What questions, or tensions, do they bring up for a principal, like Mrs. Jones, who wants to build a high quality PreK-3 rd program?

PreK-3 as Reform: Why? Educational outcomes and disparities PreK important, but benefits may fade (Brooks- Gunn, 2003) Multiple years of quality primary education make a difference, but often lacking: Achievement gaps increase (Reynolds, et al, 2010; Stuhlman & Pianta, 2009) New knowledge about foundational learning (Dickinson, 2006)

PreK-3 as Reform: What? High Quality Teaching, Learning, Assessment Aligned from PreK through 3 rd Grade Informed by Knowledge of Early Learning and Development: Relationships Active, Interactive Social, Emotional, Physical, and Intellectual Flexible Partnerships with Families Collaboration and Continuous Learning Among Staff

What Value Does PreK-3 Add? Respects PreK-3 rd as unique segment of the educational continuum Bridges the Best of Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education (K- 12) School administrators as Leaders for Change and Knowledgeable Brokers of Culture

Healthy Social Development Teacher Attitudes Knowledge Skills and Practices Child High Quality PreK-3 Classrooms Family and cultural connections Caring, inclusive community Developmentally supportive practices Intellectually challenging, content – area teaching Assessments as guides Professional Development + Collaborative Coaching + Consultation Strong School Leadership for PreK-3 PreK- 3 Professional Learning Community Erikson Institute New Schools Project Motivation, Perceived Competence to Learn Healthy Social Development High Academic Achievement

ISAT Scores - Reading On average, 3 rd graders in NSP schools gained more than 7 percentage points in reading on the 2010 ISAT compared with a CPS district average of 2 points. Mean ISAT Reading Achievement % Meets or Exceeds

ISAT Scores - Math On average, 3 rd graders in NSP schools gained 11 percentage points in mathematics on the 2010 ISAT, compared with a CPS district average of 4 points. Mean ISAT Mathematics Achievement % Meets or Exceeds

Other Erikson PreK-3 rd Initiatives Exploring PreK-3 rd Grade: A Dialogue on Educational Reform AUSL PreK-3 rd Task Force EME Innovations: PreK- 3 rd Professional Development Initiative Funded by i3

School Leadership For PreK-3 rd : What Principal Actions Matter Most? A re-imagined vision for PreK-3 rd grade: Internalize the research-based rationale for PreK-3 rd Build up from early childhood rather than push down from the higher grades

PreK – 3 rd Leadership Invest in Resources to Support Active & Interactive Learning and Social Competence People First Staff PreK-3 rd Professional Development Materials and Experiences

PreK – 3 rd Leadership Know developmentally-meaningful curriculum and instruction: Use available tools to support supervision of high quality PreK-3 rd practices Build assessment systems for PreK-3 rd that reflect the learning continuum Recognize and help span the gray areas between “developmentally appropriate practice” and “rigor”

PreK – 3 rd Leadership Establish Time, Structures, Skills, and Expectations for Collaboration Teacher Teams Support Team Family Outreach (e.g., Home Visits) and Collaboration

PreK – 3 rd Leadership Set Policies and Practices that Promote Continuity, Flexibility, and Variability Among Children Looping Multi-Age Groupings

PreK – 3 rd Leadership Protect the long-term view: And then the kids came then the standards - - then NCLB.... ???

Funding for the New Schools Project Provided By: Chicago Public Schools Joyce Foundation McCormick Foundation Perkins Hunter Foundation Fund at The Chicago Community Trust. Polk Bros Foundation W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation PreK-3 Resources: Foundation for Child Development: New America Foundation:

More Info on NSP and PreK-3 rd Forum NSP Website: PreK-3 rd Forum (under ‘Events’): Watch Video of Presentations Download White Paper on PreK-3 rd Grade Reform Download Speaker Notes k3.aspx k3.aspx